Color

As of 2024, there are 15 colors of die-injected plastic pyramids available on the market. Below is a list of those colors along with information about when they first became available to the general public. They can be sub-divided according to their opacity. Transparent colors make up 60% of the available colors, while opaque colors make up 40% of the currently-available total. The first ten colors that were released were assigned to one of two groups: "Xeno" vs "Rainbow" colors. Their designations are in the table below. The next five colors of pyramids were given no such designations upon their release.

Pyramid	Color	Year First Introduced	Color Scheme
	Clear	2000	Xeno
	Red	1999	Rainbow
	Pink	2008	N/A
	Orange	2001	Xeno
	Yellow	1999	Rainbow
	Green	1999	Rainbow
	Cyan	2003	Xeno
	Blue	1999	Rainbow
	Purple	2001	Xeno
	White	2003?	Xeno
	Silver	2016	N/A
	Martian Red	2016	N/A
	Kickstarter Green	2016	N/A
	Gray	2024	N/A
	Black	2000	Rainbow

Color is often important in Icehouse games. Color is commonly used to determine piece ownership (Pikemen, Sprawl). Some games, such as Homeworlds, Zendo, and Blockade care about what specific colors are used in the game. Others, such as Martian Chess, have no concern for color whatsoever.

History

Historically, blue, green, yellow, and red have become the standard Pyramid colors, since that was how Icehouse was manufactured and sold during its first ten years (Icehouse: The Martian Chess Set, Paper Icehouse). This tradition is reflected in the Zendo boxed set, which contains the four primary colors. The Black Ice set added clear and opaque black pieces. When single-stash tubes became available, purple, orange and opaque white were introduced. The IceTowers boxed set came with clear, opaque white, purple, and the newly-introduced cyan. The first ten colors are now available only in the Rainbow and Xeno Stash sets. Next, opaque gray was introduced for Volcano Caps [1], but has since [been discontinued]. Pink Treehouse added pink, and was the only color sold by stash and as a Treehouse set.

Current Colors

Plastic pyramid colors commercially available (as of 2012) are grouped in two five-color spectra, "Rainbow" and "Xeno." All plastic pyramid colors are translucent, other than those specifically opaque.

Rainbow

1. Red
2. Yellow
3. Green
4. Blue
5. Black (opaque)

Xeno

1. Cyan
2. Purple
3. Orange
4. Clear
5. White (opaque)

Standalone Colors

1. Pink (originally sold as part of Pink Treehouse, these are now sold as part of Pink Hijinks)
2. Green Opaques (marketed as part of the Pyramid Arcade Kickstarter, some of these were bought by stores and were available as of 2016)
3. Silver (opaque) (sold as part of the stand-alone Martian Chess set)
4. Martian Red (opaque) (sold as part of the stand-alone Martian Chess set)
5. Gray (sold as part of the boxed set of Jinxx)

Unusual Colors

These are rare colors created by manufacturing accident. The first two were one-stash-only phenomena and sold on eBay at a premium.

• Gray (byproduct of Volcano Caps)
• Root Beer
• Watermelon
• Electric Yellow

The freak Electric Yellow pyramids were the last ones made with the US mold. They have a greenish tinge and they fluoresce somewhat. A supply of these is still present at Looney Labs, but they are for sale only to Official Starship Captains.

Colors of Non-plastic Pieces

• Xyloid pieces were issued in blue, green, yellow, and red.
• "Origami Icehouse" was also marketed in the four original colors.
• Crystal Caste sells four colors/materials of stone pyramids: black obsidian, steely hematite, green aventurine, and blue jasper.

Images

A game of Timelock uses one Rainbow and one Xeno set, thus all ten current colors.

A setup for Supercalifragilisticano with nine translucent colors and two opaque.

A game of Icehouse paused for judging. Each player is using a stash of one of the four "classic" colors.

Setup for Blockade in unconventional colors: Purple/Pink v. Blue/Cyan. (Note also pink and purple dice!)

See Also

History timeline

Color Powers